WCC OFFERS NEW ENGINEERING DEGREE WITH U.VA. BACHELOR’S DEGREE OPTION
7/2/2009

Beginning this fall, Wytheville Community College is offering a new associate’s degree in Science with a specialization in Engineering that can lead to a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia.

The first two years of the Engineering Specialization program will be completed at WCC, with the final two years of the transfer program completed entirely via distant learning course delivery from the University of Virginia. The completed bachelor’s degree in Engineering will be awarded by U.Va. to the successful student.

"We are very excited about this new partnership between WCC and U.Va.," said Lorri M. Huffard, Wytheville Community College’s Dean of Science and Health. "The new Science degree with a specialization in Engineering provides a wonderful opportunity for local students to earn an associate’s degree from WCC and then complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Science from the University of Virginia without having to leave their local communities."

The partnership between WCC and U.Va. is part of the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science’s "Engineers PRODUCED in Virginia" initiative. Students who desire to complete the two-year program at WCC and then transfer to an engineering program other than U.Va.’s should acquaint themselves with the requirements of the major department in the college or university to which they plan to transfer.

According to the University of Virginia’s website, students who complete the WCC Science program with a specialization in Engineering with a GPA of at least 3.4 will receive guaranteed admission to the U.Va. Engineering Science bachelor’s degree program.

"The convenience of this program is that students can complete the University of Virginia portion of their studies via distance learning," added Huffard. "This eliminates the need for expensive room and board at U.Va. and travel to Charlottesville. Distance learning is the 21st Century’s answer to the traditional classroom."

Courses included in the WCC portion of the transfer degree program include: College Chemistry, Introductory Linear Algebra, Introduction to Engineering, Engineering Mathematics-Statics, Engineering Mathematics-Dynamics, Vector Calculus, Mechanics of Materials, and University Physics.

"The goal of all our transfer degree programs," said Huffard, "is to provide our students with their freshman and sophomore years of college with the expectation that they will move on to the four-year college or university and earn their bachelor’s degrees. With Wytheville Community College’s low tuition, that means students—and most notably, their parents—can save enough money in tuition and fees while at WCC to practically pay for their junior and senior years at the university level. That is a real educational value."

U.Va. publicity notes that while the national job market is bleak, "engineering jobs are the toughest to fill in the United States. With a lack of students pursuing engineering degrees and federal stimulus money pegged for infrastructure and green energy projects, the demand is expected to grow."

For more information about Wytheville Community College’s associate degree in Science with a specialization in Engineering, please contact Lorri M. Huffard at 276-223-4829 or via email at wchuffl@wcc.vccs.edu.